Tag: Nars

The eyelid primer of eyelid primers. Nothing beats out NARS! The tiniest dab on each eyelid and even right underneath your lower lashes (if you are applying liner or eyeshadow there), will keep your makeup in perfect form for hours on end. This is a true workhorse.

How so little primer can set your eyeshadow in place, along with capturing it’s true intensity, never ceases to amaze me. No melting makeup, no creasing, no smudging. Eyeshadow looks smooth, vibrant and freshly applied, without your eyelids looking dry and heavy.

No primer I’ve come across even comes close to this one and I’ve tried all the big guns. The creamy velvety texture of this base melts right into your skin without any tackiness. And although it applies white, it quickly disappears.

The one drawback? This stuff is so good, it’s hard to wipe away makeup application booboos. But I’ll take that over eye shadow that’s sitting on my cheeks after a few hours. Oh, and did I mention no creasing? I repeat. No creasing. No fading. NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base is worth every penny.

Like this:

Smoky eyes were never so easy! But it really is cheating! A successful sultry eye takes a bit of time but this technique works beautifully in a pinch!

Grab a light eyeshadow (like Thi Cosmetics’s Fai, Mac’s Vanilla or Chanel’s Lotus) and apply a soft wash over the entire eye. Then with a pony tail brush, take a darker shadow (like Cover Girl’s Tapestry Taupe, Nars’s darker shade in the Cleo duo, or Chanel’s Fauve), and blend/ smoke it with a windshield wiper motion into the crease of the eye, slightly above the crease, and into the outermost corner.

The upper edges of the smoky darker eyeshadow might seem a bit jagged or unfinished. Not quite the effortlessly gradated look you were hoping for. But don’t despair. Grab your concealer brush, and take a swipe of your fave concealer (like Laura Mercier’s Secret Camouflage).

Trace over the eyeshadow edges you want to erase or blend out and then use you finger to pat out the concealer.

You will be left with a a perfectly contoured smoky eye in seconds! Great cheat for defined, stand out, sexy eyes! Try it! It works like a dream!

How lucky I am to have a friend like my Glow + Tell cohort Elena Evangelo, she gifted me one of my now favorite products, NARS Orgasm Illuminator. Inspired by NARS’s CULT classic Orgasm blush this product evolution is intended to multitask, used either as an all over glow, a highlighter, blush, or foundation enhancer. I use it mostly as a cream blush/cheek highlighter. Or sometimes I apply my NARS Orgasm blush and then add a light dab of the illuminator on top. Alone the shimmer helps give my skin a more awake look, and since it is not a powder it keeps my skin from looking dry. In fact it reflects light and makes my skin look more youthful, a dewy look. The Orgasm color is a peachy pink with shimmer and creates a natural glow, very universally flattering.

Tips for application as a blush/cheek highlighter –

Dab the upper area of your cheekbones with a small amount of illuminator starting at the top of the apples of your cheeks.

I’d suggest starting with a small amount, as it’s always easier to add on vs. take off.

Continue to dab upward and around to side of eyes, temple area. If you have fine lines around your eyes, as most of us do, tread lightly in this area. You don’t want the product to illuminate lines so make sure to lighten up on the amount and make sure to blend!

Maybe or maybe not, top off the uppermost points of your cheekbones with an extra touch of illuminator. This highlight can lift the face by raising the appearance of your cheekbones.

Lastly give it one last attention to detail and make sure the edges are blended softly out until you end up with a beautiful dewy glow!

The illuminator comes in 4 colors including a stunning new silver illuminator available in the Fall 2012 Holiday Walk On the Wild Side Andy Warhol gift set. The core items in the new Andy Warhol collection are available Oct. 1st at Sephora but the HIGHLY anticipated palettes and gift sets are available on the NARS website come Nov. 1st. To read more about the the Warhol themed collection check out yesterdays Vogue Daily article!

Like this:

How excited was I to pick this little number up!! Wanted to love it in the Sephora store. Wanted to love it at home. But in the end, this was just meh! Frankly, I think I own more Nars products than anything else. Yet this left me so disappointed. I loved the color, a gorgeous coral. And I loved the application. This fat pencil suprisingly gave me so much control.

But in terms of longevity – zilcho! I found it more drying than hydrating. Not very glossy. And the color faded in what felt like seconds. I chose Happy Days. And I was really happy, up unti it sat on my lips for a while…

Like this:

Aigle Noir means Black Eagle. Which makes me love this pencil even more. It applies like a dream. Literally glides on. You can build the intensity with additional strokes and easily soften the line by blending it out. Shape it into a tighter line with a q-tip. Smudge it all over your lid. Or use it as a base for traditional eye shadow. In one quick stroke, it gives you done eyes! A go-to for both a soft halo of light around my lash line or a bolder more dramatic eye.

And the color! The color is this decadent bronzey golden flecked black. Now, I hate to call it a soft grease pencil, for fear that it will scare people off. But it kinda is. Yet it never gets messy. You can clean up any mishaps so easily and yet it has great wear power. A luscious find!

Tips:

Start with an eyelid primer or some shadow to be sure this soft pencil stays put. It’s worth the extra step. I promise.